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Range Rover History

Range Rovers are luxury SUVs from Land Rover model line, a marque of British manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover.

The first Range Rover was introduced in 1970 and became Land Rover’s flagship model throughout its 50-year history. There are now four generations of the Range, plus an expanded line of three other models. The company also has the Land Rover Range Rover HSE, meaning high standard equipment. The HSE, such as the HSE Lux, comes with an upgraded trim level, finer interiors, and extra accents.

The first generations of Range Rover were produced from 1970 to 1996 and were far more utilitarian than the luxury Range Rovers of today. They were fairly basic, could be easily washed down inside, and did not come with many standard features like power steering, leather seats, cruise control, carpeted floors, or air conditioning.

The first gen Rovers came in short wheelbase (SWB) and long wheelbase (LWB) options. This model, which is now called the Range Rover Classic, inspired the Land Rover Discovery (based on the SWB) and the second generation of Range Rovers (based on the LWB).

The second generation was introduced 25 years after the first Range Rover; it was produced from 1994 to 2002. This 5-door SUV was an upgraded version of the Classic and was also a step above the Land Rover Discovery and Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Range Rover’s third generation model was even more up-market than the second gen and was in production from 2002 to 2012. This model was developed under BMW’s ownership and share some components of the BMW 7 Series cars.

This model, also known as the L322, came in three variants; the first came with the BMW transmission while the other two had supercharged versions of a Jaguar engine. The Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged variant also had some cleaner, upgraded features.

Land Rover upgraded the Range even further in 2012 when they created the fourth generation, which is the current edition.

Land Rover Range Rover has also developed an expanded line of three vehicles, the Range Rover Sport, the Range Rover Velar, and the Range Rover Evoque.

The Land Rover Range Rover Sport was released in 2004 as a mid-size luxury SUV based on the Land Rover Discovery body style.

The Land Rover Range Rover Velar is a mid-size crossover that Land Rover announced in 2007; it has the same platform as the Jaguar S-Pace.

The Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is a 3-door or 5-door hatchback available with front wheel drive or AWD. It has been named the truck, car, and SUV of the year by numerous outlets.

In 2020, Range Rovers come equipped with luxurious features like premium audio systems with satellite radio, and other high end features.

If you’d like more information before making a decision, be sure to check out our Complete How-To Sell Your Exotic Car Guide and our in-depth research piece Leasing vs Owning.